Polish Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki accused the Czech Republic of employing dishonest practices aimed at hurting Polish imports.
His Czech counterpart promised to refute the allegations.
On Monday, Poland protested against a directive which allegedly demanded that food imported from Poland be checked more thoroughly than food imports from other countries. Poland is a major supplier of food to the Czech Republic.
In an interview for Polish radio on Monday, the Polish minister said he had written proof of the fact that the Czech Food Inspection Authorities has been ordered to launch a nation-wide inspection of Polish imports over those of other countries clearly in view of finding failings come what may.
Denying the accusation Czech Agriculture Minister Marian Jure?ka said that other importers had been placed under similar increased scrutiny in the wake of the EU sanctions against Russia. Today, he will send a report to his Polish counterpart proving that the Czech inspection authorities were not waging a selective campaign against Polish goods, Jure?ka said after a phone call with Sawicki.
In the meantime, Czech news agency ?TK has acquired a copy of the document cited by the Polish agriculture minister giving specific instructions on the testing of apples saying that “in the last week of September every inspector in the field will take a sample of 2 imported apples of Polish origin, noting specifically that other imports are not to be tested.”
Referring to the report he was to send to his Polish colleague, Czech Agriculture Minister said today: "He will see that, considering the volume of trade, we did not burden Polish food with checks more than the other countries."
© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article written by László Juhász
